A Boy's Worry
by Tytoman
Summary: Mana Khemia characters transplanted into the Shugo Chara world, with their mana and others acting as guardian characters. A strange mix, but surprisingly good.


_It might be a good idea to provide a little context here. Basically, this story will focus on alternate versions of characters from the Mana Khemia games (both 1 and 2). They exist in the Shugo Chara universe, attend middle school, and will mostly have at least one guardian character, usually based on their respective mana. For any Shugo Chara fans reading this, I'm sorry to say that I have no current plans to include any Shugo Chara characters. Still, I hope you'll give this story a chance. It's a strange mix, but It's turning out well so far._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Mana Khemia, nor Shugo chara, nor any of the concepts, characters, or game elements used or referenced in this story or any of its chapters._

_If I have to say that, I figure I might as well be thorough :)_

Chapter 1: Vayne's Wish

Tick…Tick…Tick…

Vayne watched the clock while he silently pulled his things together. The school day was almost over, and now it was just a matter of being ready for the bell.

Tick…Tick…Tick…

He shifted his weight to the edge of his seat. If he could just get to the door fast enough, maybe he could get away before anyone noticed him.

Tick…Tick… _Brrriiinnngg!_

Vayne sprang to his feet and headed for the door as fast as he could without getting told off by the teacher. _Not much further. Almost there…_

"Hey, Vayne! Wait up!"

He froze outside the door. _I should just keep going. Pretend like I didn't hear_. He had almost worked himself up for the task when the girl who'd called his name poked her head around the door. "Oh, good! You're still here. Could you do me a favor?"

_I'd rather not,_ Vayne thought, but the words caught in his throat as usual.

The girl ploughed on, taking his silence as consent. "It's supposed to be my turn to clean up the classroom, but there's somewhere I have to be. Can you cover for me?"

_No thanks. I barely know you anyway; get one of your friends to do it._ Vayne sighed. It wasn't too bad yet. Maybe he could duck into the bathroom for a while before anyone else caught up. "I guess so…"

Another girl popped through the doorway. "Since it sounds like you'll be here anyway, would you mind re-ordering the bookshelves? They're a mess!"

"Well…"

A boy came next. "And if you're not too busy, we need someone to make a banner for our class. The school festival's not too far away."

"I'm not very good at-"

"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be great." The first girl gave him a smile. "Thanks again for helping me out."

"I really appreciate it."

"Good luck!"

They continued on their way down the hall. Vayne waited for everyone else to file out of the classroom. Then he slumped against the wall, covered his face with his hands, and groaned. _Not again!_

He stepped back into the classroom, still feeling frustrated, and found, to his surprise, that someone was already clearing the books off the shelves. Vayne recognized her as one of his classmates; he had never spoken to her, but the pink hair and wing-shaped pigtails were hard to mistake. She sneezed on a puff of dust, blinked, and then noticed Vayne standing in the doorway. She smiled. "I don't know how they got like this, but it really _is_ a mess over here. This'll take a while to fix. I'm Jess, by the way."

Vayne blinked. "Umm…I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

Jess glanced pointedly at the stacks of books. "Is that a trick question?"

The boy shook his head. "Sorry. I meant to ask why."

"Oh, no reason. I don't really have anything to do right now, and it sounded like you had a full plate. I thought you could use some help." Vayne stared, and Jess' smile grew uncertain. "You don't mind, do you? I'll go home if that's what you want."

"No!" Vayne startled himself with his own vehemence. His face reddened. "I mean, please don't. I could use the help."

Jess beamed. "Okay, then!" She dove back into her task while Vayne began sweeping the floor.

They worked in silence for a while. When half of the shelves were done and Vayne was finished with the floor, Jess broke it. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you. Your last name's Aurelius, isn't it?" She waited for Vayne to nod before continuing. "Are you related to a _Doctor_ Aurelius?"

"Only my dad. Why?"

Jess laughed and clapped her hands. "I knew it! You look just like I remember him!"

Vayne blinked. "What?"

The girl settled down a little. "Sorry. It's just that I met your dad when I was a kid. I was really sick, and no one else knew what to do. Dr. Aurelius was the one who saved me."

Vayne smiled. That sounded like his dad, alright. He'd have put in all the effort he could to save a life, even if it meant putting off sleep or skipping meals…

The broom clattered to the floor. "Oh no, that's right! Dad's getting off his shift early tonight. I still need to get some stuff for dinner."

"Sounds like you should go, then. I'll finish up here."

Vayne looked worried. "You're sure?"

"Positive. Say hi to your dad for me!"

Vayne gave a quick nod and thanked the girl for her help. Then he picked up his things and rushed out into the hallway.

It was quiet for a minute, once he was gone. Then a small voice came from Jess' schoolbag. "He seemed nice. I'm glad we decided to help him."

Jess frowned. "What do you mean 'we'? And why were you hiding, anyway? It's not like he could see you."

"I know, but he would have freaked out if things started moving around on their own." There was a rustling of papers, and a figure worked its way out from under the top flap. She was about five inches tall, with a head much too big for the rest of her body, and was dressed in a nurse's outfit with a tiny pair of angel wings on her back. "Besides, those books are way too heavy!"

Jess smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Think you could clean off some of the desks, though? I'll help when I'm done here."

The little nurse fished inside her small medical bag for a moment before producing a spray bottle and rag. "No problem. Just leave it to me!" She gave a quick salute before flitting off to the nearest desk. Jess smiled and returned to her task.

* * *

Vayne had just gotten to the kitchen with the groceries when he heard the front door open. Moments later his father stepped into the kitchen. "Hey, son. You started-" He took note of the unoccupied stove and the bags sitting on the counter. "Oh. I guess not."

Vayne flushed. "Sorry. I kind of got held up."

The doctor shook his head, smiling. "Don't worry so much. I was actually hoping you hadn't." He held up a take-out bag by way of explanation. "Figured you deserved a night off."

Vayne breathed an internal sigh of relief. His father, Doctor Theofratus Aurelius, often worked long shifts, so housekeeping duties tended to fall on Vayne's shoulders. Vayne didn't mind. He knew how much his father cared about his patients, and he figured it was the least he could do to keep things going while he was gone. Besides, Vayne _was_ the better cook of the two. But the few occasions when he didn't have everything running smoothly tended to upset the boy.

"Need some help putting those away?"

Vayne smiled. "Sure."

He started unloading the groceries while Theofratus began stowing things in the fridge. "So what held you up?"

Vayne hesitated before answering. "Nothing much. Just the usual."

"Ambushed again, huh?" Vayne remained silent. Theofratus gave him a concerned look. "You know, sometimes I wish you could be a little more selfish."

_Time to change the subject_. "Do you remember a girl named Jess?"

"Where'd that come from?"

"She asked me about you today. I think she was one of your patients."

Theofratus scratched his chin. "Pink hair? Pigtails?" Vayne nodded. His father smiled. "I remember. She was recovering nicely the last time I saw her. How's she doing now?" The ensuing conversation phased into a discussion about work, which Vayne was only partially interested in. As Theofratus went on about some of the more interesting patients he was treating, Vayne found himself withdrawing more and more into his own thoughts.

The truth was, he agreed with his father. Vayne had always been the shy, helpful sort. That hadn't been a problem, until the rest of the class had caught on to it. Nowadays, Vayne dreaded the end of the school day, because people were always seeking him out and loading him with last-minute requests for help. _They know I won't turn them down,_ he thought despairingly. _I can't. I always choke on the word "no"._

As he slipped into bed that night, Vayne found himself recalling his father's earlier statement. _"Sometimes I wish you could be a little more selfish."_ He sighed. That wasn't happening anytime soon. He had too many years of quiet service weighing him down.

_I wish I could change, though,_ he thought as he drifted off to sleep. _I really do._

* * *

The following morning, there were two large Easter eggs sitting under Vayne's covers, one pure black, the other snowy white, and both marked with the same design: a large red cat's eye.

Vayne stared at them in disbelief. This sort of prank didn't fit his Father's sense of humor, and there was no one else in the house. _So… some kind of prowler broke in and put a couple of eggs in my bed? Without me noticing?_ Vayne shook his head and glanced at the clock. _Better get some breakfast. I think there's some bacon and -._ He shook his head again. _I think there's some cereal._

He'd half expected the mystery eggs to vanish by the time he returned to get ready for school. But there they were, still perched on the edge of his bed. Vayne stared at them for a moment, checked the clock again, and decided that the mystery could wait. _If I stay here much longer, I'm going to be late._ He sighed at the thought of another school day. _Maybe I'll be lucky this time._

Vayne went to his closet to pull out his school uniform. While he was distracted, the black egg twitched. It rolled the short distance to the edge of the bed and fell into Vayne's open schoolbag, where it went still once more.

Moments later, Vayne gathered last night's homework from his desk and stuffed it into his bag without bothering to look. He then slipped the shoulder strap over his head and headed for the front door.

* * *

When the final bell rang later that day, Vayne was a little too slow in packing up his things. He sighed inwardly as one of the other male students walked up to him.

"Hey," he said. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure. Why not?" _Because I'm tired of _doing_ favors, that's why!_

The other boy smiled. "Great. I need to be somewhere in a minute. Can you take over cleanup duty for today? It's supposed to be my turn."

Vayne lowered his head and covered his face with one hand. "Please let me say 'no', just this once" he muttered.

In the depths of his bag, the black egg cracked down the middle. The shell split open a fraction of an inch, and a pair of yellow eyes peered up at the boy through the bag's opening. "Well… Since you asked so nicely."

Vayne shot a startled glance at his bag, his eyes widening as he met the stowaway's gaze.

The other boy watched him curiously. "Something wrong?"

Something strange came over Vayne then. His expression became much less unsure than usual, and a ragged-looking leather collar appeared around his neck with a faint pop. Vayne snapped his gaze back to his classmate. "What's so important?"

The boy blinked. "Um…what?"

"What's so important that you need me to take your turn today?"

"Oh! Well, my friends and I had this thing planned-"

"So get them to help you out. You'll get done that much faster, and no one else has to get involved." Vayne glanced behind his startled classmate, and his eyes fixed on the boy who had caught him yesterday. "And you," He said, "We all voted on festival duties last week. Weren't you the one who got picked to make the banner?" Vayne smirked as the boy's jaw dropped. "Either do it yourself or find someone else to dump it on."

The remaining students were all staring at him now. It was almost like watching a rabbit as it savagely bit someone's finger. Vayne basked in their astonishment for a moment. Then the collar vanished, the sea of confidence ebbed, and he found himself facing a dozen incredulous stares.

Vayne shot a panicked glance at the egg in his bag, but found that it was once again tightly shut. He turned back to face the class, and his face turned scarlet. "I… um… sorry," he stammered. "I have to go!" He hurriedly fastened his bag closed and almost flew out the door.

Jess, who had been watching the whole scene, shot an accusing glance at the tiny nurse floating next to her. "Breeze, why didn't you tell me he had a guardian character?"

"It wasn't with him yesterday!" the nurse said defensively. "I'm sure of it! I think it might have just hatched."

"Whatever," Jess whispered in reply. "This could be our big chance." She grabbed her bag and took off in pursuit. "Vayne! Wait up!"

_Please comment and review. There are those who have heard about this idea and worry about my sanity, and I'd love to prove them wrong :)_


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